Chronic Illness & “Depression”

[TammySwansonTwo]

I’ve had several conditions that cause pain and fatigue for over 20 years. Things are worsening and I’m desperate for help, not convinced that my diagnoses are correct. Any time I see the GP (not often, no point) I cry because I am not coping with my symptoms.

All they want to do is diagnose it as depression and give me anti depressants (doesn’t work, been down that road before). It doesn’t matter how many times I tell them I’m not depressed - I AM IN FUCKING PAIN, ALL THE FUCKING TIME. I’m too exhausted to move, I’m on morphine but their only concern is getting me off it (have cut down by nearly 90% over the last couple of years). I’ve been outside a couple of times in the last month. It’s making me a fucking useless mother, my poor kids aren’t getting the stimulation they need because of it. I don’t want to live like this but that isn’t the same as being suicidal.

This isn’t about my health issues as such (posted separately about this yesterday) but rather why GPs only seem to want to push anti depressants? I get that resources are scarce and there are so many demands on their time, but I couldn’t look at someone who’s been battling this much pain for nearly a decade and is clearly in a mess and chuck a box of Prozac at them. How long does this shit have to go on before they’ll do something more?

The most frustrating part is when my husband with less debilitating symptoms goes for an issue with intermittent pain he’s immediately referred for tests because he has no chronic diagnosis for them to blame everything on (although they did offer him anti depressants too!).

Is it just that it’s cheapest overall? I’m not saying some people don’t have depression and chronic pain / fatigue but in many cases it would improve a lot if their symptoms are addressed.

AIBU to think this is just the easy way out for doctors?

If you already have a diagnosis that your GP seems to be correct and you are already on higher level pain meds is there much else your GP can do?

Anti-depressants are often used as pain relief and I think GPs prefer prescribing them over opoids as i think (I may be wrong) that they can be less addictive than opoids.

Also, I say this as someone else that has chronic illness, are you sure you are not depressed? I am yet to meet someone with chronic illness that isn't depressed, My GP calls it reactive depression. It's not the depression causing the symptoms, But it's living with the symptoms causing the depression. I have been suicidal from dealing with chronic pain, it's physically and emotionally exhausting. So when your GP is suggesting depression, could it be they're suggesting it as a result of having to live with chronic illness rather than the cause?

*when I say I'm yet to meet someone with chronic illness without depression I don't mean every single person with a chronic illness will be, I just mean that I think it's really common for physical well being to have an impact on mental well being

I wouldn’t say I’m depressed, no. I’m frustrated and fed up and angry about my situation, but not depressed. I was depressed after my twins were born and it’s completely different.

I’ve basically been palmed off with a diagnosis of exclusion without much effort at exclusion and which doesn’t explain many of the symptoms I have. Even if the diagnosis were correct, which I’m not convinced about, that doesn’t mean that any problem I ever have in future is related to that condition, but that’s basically how it’s treated. It’s massively frustrating. I begged for a referral for a while, doctor did it, and then the consultant refused to see me because my GP had already “diagnosed” me.

So basically I’m screwed. I’m 37, and every month is worse than the last month. Anti depressants isn’t going to change that.